Pashkavilin (posters) accusing Israeli businessman Nochi Dankner of being “the greatest mechalel Shabbos of all” have been distributed in Bnei Brak and Yerushalayim. Dankner is the owner of the Yesh supermarket chain, which caters to the chareidi market. According to the posters, many businesses owned by Dankner’s IDB group work on Shabbos and also facilitate chillul Shabbos by others. These businesses include cellular service provider Cellcom, which operates its customer service on Shabbosos, and Israir airline and Natur tour operator, which organize trips on weekends.
Unlike the chareidi boycott threats on the Blue Square supermarket chain, which were initiated by the Rabbinic Committee for Kedushas Shabbos, the recent posters have not been signed by any organization.
A source in the chareidi sector, according to Yediot Achronot claimed that the pashkavilin were “nothing more than a children’s prank.”
A spokesperson for Shufersal, which operates Yesh, said in response: “This move is part of the unfair competition launched by interested parties in the food industry that are jealous of the Sheufersal chain’s success.”
Dankner has throughout the years managed to maintain good ties with the chareidi community despite the fact that several of his companies work on Shabbos.
Shufersal recently went back on an earlier decision to buy 19% of the Steimatzky bookshop chain, which operates on Shabbosos, after receiving threats from the Committee for Kedushas Shabbos.
{Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}